Neighbor county OKs drilling ban

ESPANOLA — The Rio Arriba County Commissioners unanimously passed an amended moratorium on new oil and gas drilling within their county, approving a four-month ban while it continues to study environmental concerns. Read the entire story from the Daily Times.

Governor Richardson Seeks to Safeguard New Mexico Headwaters

SANTA FE, New Mexico, April 22, 2008 (ENS) - Governor Bill Richardson marked Earth Day by moving to protect all surface waters within national forest wilderness and inventoried roadless areas in New Mexico - amounting to more than 5,300 miles of headwaters streams that flow from mountain forests. Read the entire story from the Environment News Service.

BLM Fumbles Balancing Act

TIJERAS— Those of us who live in New Mexico appreciate the rugged mountain ranges, broad deserts, endless prairies and diverse ecosystems that make our part of the country unique. As an avid outdoorsman and sportsman, I like nothing better than pursuing quail or pronghorn across plains dotted with mesquite and yucca. And I dream of one day having the opportunity to hunt the crown jewel of New Mexican wildlife, the mighty desert bighorn. Read the entire opinion column from the Alburquerque Journal.

Richardson Pledges Fight Against Gila River Diversion

SANTA FE — Gov. Bill Richardson says he'll consider proposing a statutory prohibition on building dams or diversion projects on the Gila River in southwestern New Mexico. Read the entire story from the Associated Press in the Alburquerque Journal.

Oil, gas officials voice concern on possible drilling halt

Lines are drawn in a classic northern New Mexico land-use battle as Rio Arriba County Commissioners move to impose a six-month moratorium on new oil and gas drilling. Read the entire story from The Daily Times.

As gasoline nears $4 a gallon, Congress has questions about Big Oil's big profits

Senior executives of the five largest U.S. oil companies were to appear before a congressional committee Tuesday where they were likely to find frustrated lawmakers in no mood for small talk. The lawmakers were scheduled to hear from top executives of Exxon Mobil Corp., Shell Oil Co., BP America Inc., Chevron Corp. and ConocoPhillips, which together earned about $123 billion last year because of soaring oil and gasoline prices. Read AP article in Casper Star Tribune.

Judge OKs stricter rules on drilling waste

A state district judge has upheld the state's move to tighten regulations on surface waste disposal from oil and gas operations over the protest of 16 companies. Read the entire story from the Santa Fe New Mexican.

Drilling's hidden costs

How do you drill through a drinking water aquifer and extract oil from the earth below without polluting that water with oil — and threatening public health? That's a question Galisteo Basin residents have been asking since last fall, when Tecton Energy announced plans to drill for a million barrels of light, sweet crude in the area. Read article at the Santa Fe New Mexican.

Domenici opposes proposed pit rules

U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici, a Republican, told Gov. Bill Richardson on Monday of his doubts about the worth of the proposed pit rules. "This new rule has the potential to be double trouble for our country and the people of New Mexico," Domenici said. "At a time when gas prices are soaring, it could curb domestic production of oil and gas, making us more dependent on foreign oil." Read article at The Daily Times.

County suspends Galisteo Basin drilling for one year